About

THAMES BATHS LIDO - for swimming, for relaxing, for everyone

£142,726

pledged of £125,000 goal

1,273

backers

Welcome to our Kickstarter page. We are Chris, James and Matt. Two experienced architects and one experienced strategist looking to give something back to the amazing city of London in which we've all spent most of our life.

Our vision is to create a swimming lido that reclaims the River Thames, not just for people living in London and the local community that would live near by it, but for people visiting London too. We love this city and can't believe that we aren't able to make more use of the great river that flows through it.

The lido won't just be for swimmers, but it will also be an amazing cultural destination for non-swimmers too; there will be cine+swim nights powered by popular cinema groups, a cafe run by local suppliers, a haven for wildlife sitting alongside the lido, opportunities for the unemployed and of course great places to lounge and take in the amazing sights around you.

We'd like you to help us by donating whatever you can to the idea. From £8 upwards we've got rewards for everyone and above £45 you can become a founding member meaning you'll be forever in our hearts and a huge, ever-lasting part of our history. Our first target is the £125,000 total (we're now over 20%+ of the way there and have had support from all over the world so wherever you are) which will help us get on the road to planning permission and make this project a reality for London.

From there we will then be working with sponsors, grants and investors to find the total we need to make this happen. (less than 1/10th the cost of the Garden Bridge)

We won't stop until this architectural vision becomes a cultural destination for all of us in London and beyond.

Thanks so so so much for anything you can do to help, we can't wait to go on this journey with you.

Chris, James and Matt

NEW VISUALISATIONS OF THAMES BATHS SHOW IT CAN WORK ANYWHERE ON THE RIVER THAMES

NEW REWARDS FROM THAMES BATHS AND MICHAEL C. PLACE.

We now have two limited edition prints available in our rewards. These are limited to 50 for singles and then 25 for the pair. Details are in the rewards to the right and images are below:

IT'S BEEN A FUN JOURNEY

What started as a dream many months ago is a step closer to reality. The original idea was conceived by Chris whilst on holiday in Zurich surrounded by the lake and its' swimming facilities.

We realised there was nothing like this in London's largest body of water and public space, the River Thames, and so we set about sketching out the idea. You'd never imagine that from this sketch, we've come so far, in such a short time.

Concept Sketch

The sketch quickly developed into an idea which would sit near Blackfriars Bridge containing multiple pools across different levels, making the most of the views on offer and the river below.

The pools filled with untreated River Thames water but centred around a cleaner River Thames. The original designs fitted naturally into their surrounding environment, but were envisioned as part of a ten-year long plan to clean the river.

Having generated so much interest through the national press and around the world we started to dream about a lido that would happen not in ten years time, but in two years time. One that didn't rely on a totally clean river, but one that could filter and clean Thames water itself, before pumping it into the pools.

In early 2014, we began to design the new version of Thames Baths further upstream, to deliver a lido that could be used in two years time, not ten.

IT'S UNIQUE

The design works on the basis of a floating pontoon which rises and falls with the tide. The pools will be filled with River Thames water filtered through a bespoke filtration system making the water crystal clear.

Our intention is to support local schools and offer free swimming to under 6s in the surrounding local boroughs (and we don't want frozen children!). Plus to the hardy 65+ local swimmers who are keen to keep swimming all year around they will also get to swim cheaply.

IT'S CLEAN

Thames Baths is designed to be a natural swimming pool and therefore we've needed to seek out solutions that help make this happen.

One of the key elements of the lido is making sure that the water you swim in is filtered and clean.

It looks complicated but simply put, it is the best way of getting the water from the Thames into a clean enough state to swim in.

IT'S WARM

We have invested time weighing up the merits of warming the pools using renewable energy.

With a warmed pool we can make swimming available all year around to all of our key user groups. This means contributing on a bigger scale to the local community and it ultimately means more people have the opportunity to swim all year around.

IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WHATEVER HURDLES ARE IN OUR WAY

We like to think of ourselves as normal people trying to pursue a vision that gives back something special to the city we love to live in.

James, Chris and Matt outside Studio Octopi

Current and Previous Work from Chris and James at Studio Octopi

But it isn't just us trying to make this happen. We have a brilliant team of world-class engineers, planners, graphic designers, cost consultants and early adopters behind us who share the same desire, who have the same belief, who are going to play a crucial role in making this happen.

By supporting this project you too will become one of those early adopters, people who are helping us make this project happen.

IT'S A LONG ROAD, BUT WITH YOUR HELP WE CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN

The initial £125,000 will set us on the road to getting the Thames Baths built and in the river. The money we raise on Kickstarter will help us build the case we need to get planning permission and of course make sure that everyone in London feels a part of it.

Once we have planning permission we will be ready to push ahead to create one of the most talked about public spaces in London in 2017.

The thrill of being an early supporter and investor in the project is as exciting as the prospect of swimming in the lido with the city around you. We can't wait to push on and hope you are looking forward to it as much as we are.

IT'S LOVED AROUND THE WORLD

‘For years I have always been saying there is no reason why London can’t make more of the river and what better way to use it then create Thames Baths for the people of London to swim in’. Tracey Emin CBE

'It looks absolutely fantastic... i kind of want to be the first person to swim in it, it looks brilliant...' David Walliams, Author & Actor

“The RA has been delighted to witness the progression of an idea that began as an off-shoot from our Richard Rogers exhibition in 2013. Combining creative vision, an entrepreneurial spirit and a deeply felt conviction, Thames Baths has all the ingredients to make a positive and tangible impact on the urban environment and help rethink our relationship with the Thames, one of London’s great assets. We look forward to taking a dip in the Thames Baths before too long!” Tim Marlow, Director of Artistic Programmes, Royal Academy of Arts

‘The Thames is such a wonderful resource for London, yet we make so little use of it. As the water gets cleaner the Thames Baths is a great idea to celebrate that, to provide a spectacular leisure experience and to enliven the riverscape.’ Peter Murray, Chairman, New London Architecture

“The Thames Baths is an exciting development for outdoor swimming in the United Kingdom. Connecting swimmers back to urban waterways in this way is progressive. We hope it inspires other towns and cities across the country.” Kate Rew, Founder, Outdoor Swimming Society

You can see four of the articles below (we've also added a link to search results on Google at the bottom of the description):

Risks and challenges

There is nothing comparable to the Thames Baths in the UK. The team has been selected by us for their wealth of experience in similar projects and collectively we intend to deliver a truly unique product that you will love. Here are some of the main issues:

ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING

Building anything in a river is complex.Thames Baths is a floating pontoon you might see in a marina or river. Similar pontoon based designs have been used in Vienna, Berlin and Paris. We have selected London’s foremost marine engineers to design the structure. They have spent years working with new and existing structures along the River Thames.

PLANNING AND OTHER CONSENTS

Over the last 18 months we’ve held numerous meetings to ensure the viability of the project, including with the Port of London Authority (PLA) and the City of London. We have been encouraged by their feedback.

Addressing the health and safety factors will be key and we will provide a safe and healthy baths for years to come. We already have some positive solutions to the concerns that have been raised over the last 6 months. These will make your experience at the Thames Baths even more enjoyable without compromising the unique setting.

FUNDING AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS

We are at a conceptual stage now so initial costings are estimates. As we pass through design development we will monitor the costs carefully.

MITIGATING AGAINST THE RISKS

To put in place checks and balances we have set up a Community Interest Company (CIC), to ensure transparency and to safeguard the community interest. Thames Baths CIC will return the financial surplus into its objectives locally, nationally and eventually, internationally. It will also have a mandatory ‘asset lock’, so that donors and investors can rest assured that their money will be legally tied to the enterprise’s original social goals.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £500 or more
About $744

By pledging £500 you can become a White founding member. Limited to 50 members. You'll also get:

+ A White Membership Card, designed by graphic designers Build

+ A soon to be famous White Thames Baths swimming cap

+ Queue jump
+ 25 free swims
+ Great discounted offers
+ Thames Baths tote bag
+ Limited edition book of the project which will follow the journey from sketch to first swim, designed by our great friend Michael C Place at Build

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £3,000 or more
About $4,466

By pledging £3,000 you can become a Black founding LIFETIME member. Limited to 20 members. You'll get:

+ Lifetime Membership of Thames Baths

+ The Black Membership Card, designed by graphic designers Build
+ A soon to be famous Black Thames Baths swimming cap

+ Queue jump
+ 1 free swim per week
+ Great discounted offers
+ Thames Baths tote bag
+ Limited edition book of the project which will follow the journey from sketch to first swim , designed by our great friend Michael C Place at Build
+ Access to our online forum and events specifically aimed at Black cardholders

Plus we'll make you feel personally involved in the project by inviting you to a meeting with the founders. We'll also keep you updated with personal emails from the project.

+ Queue jump
+ Free swimming all year
+ Access to the behind the scenes of the project involving personal site visits and studio visits with the design team
+ Access to our online forum for Platinum Card holders providing up to the minute information on progress, news and Platinum Priorities (including evening events and exclusive opportunities)